Toll Increase Looms as Thruway Board Set to Meet Dec. 17

The state Thruway Authority’s board of directors will meet Dec. 17, when it will decide which of three bids it will accept for the Tappan Zee Bridge project.

But will it also consider a toll increase on commercial traffic that was first proposed in May? Officials said it’s too soon to say.

Thomas Madison, executive director of the Thruway Authority, said the agenda for the meeting hasn’t been set. The meeting, in fact, hasn’t been formally called yet.

When it comes to a toll increase, Madison said the authority is “looking at a whole range of different options.

“The board continues to deliberate about this and until such time that we have a plan, it won’t be on the agenda,” he said following a meeting of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s cabinet today.

In May, the superhighway’s board first proposed a 45 percent toll increase on vehicles with three or more axles. The proposal was met with extensive criticism from lawmakers and business groups. The full Thruway board hasn’t met since August, postponing several meetings in the meantime.

During his cabinet meeting today, Cuomo again weighed in on the potential toll increase, calling it a “last resort” and only implemented if there are no other viable options. Here’s video, courtesy of our friends at WGRZ in Buffalo, followed by Madison speaking to reporters.